THE  ANCIENT  MONUMENTS 

OF 

NORTH  AND  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

SECOND  EDITION, 

Corrected,  enlarged  and  with  some  additions, 
BY  C.  S.  R^FINESQUE,  A.  M.—  Ph,  D, 

Professor  of  Historical  and  Natural  Sci 
ences,  Member  of  many  Learned  Societies  in 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  Lexington,  Cincin 
nati^  Nashville,  Paris,  Bordeaux,  Brussels, 
Bonn,  Vienna,  Zurich,  Naples  <$>c,  the  Amer 
ican  Antiquarian  Society,  the  Northern  An 
tiquarian  Society  of  Copenhagen 


The  massive  ruins  the  arts  and  skill  unfold 
Of  busy  workers,  and  their  styles  reveal, 
The  objects  and  designs  of  such  devisers  : 
In  silent  voices  they  speak,  to  thinking  minds 
They  teach,  who  were  the  human  throngs  that  left 
Uplifted  marks,  for  witness  of  past  ages. 

PHILADELPHIA 

183§. 

Printed  for  the   Author, 


NOTICE. 

This  Essay  or  Introduction  to  my  Resear 
ches  on  the  Antiquities  and  Monuments  of 
North  and  South  America,  was  printed  in  Sep 
tember  1838  in  the  first  Number  of  the  Amer 
ican  Museum  of  Baltirnorc,  a  literary  monthly 
periodical  undertaken  by  Messrs.  Brooks  and 
Snodgrass,  as  a  new  series  of  the  North  Amer 
ican  Quarterly  Magazine.  Being  printed  in  a 
hurry  and  at  a  distance  several  material  errors 
oecured,  which  are  now  rectified,  and  this  se 
cond  edition  will  form  thereby  the  Introduction 
to  my  long  contemplated  Work  on  the  Ancient 
Monuments  of  this  continent :  to  which  I  allu 
ded  in  my  work  on  the  Ancient  Nations  of 
America  published  in  1836,  I  will  add  some 
notes  or  additions  thereto,  and  may  gradualy 
publish  my  original  descriptions  and  views, 
plans,  maps  &c,  of  such  as  I  have  surveyed, 
examined  and  studied  between  1818  and  this 
time ;  comparing  them  with  those  observed  by 
others  in  America  or  elsewhere  of  the  same 
character — such  works  are  of  a  national  im 
portance  or  interest,  and  ought  to  be  patroni 
zed  by  the  States  or  Learned  Societies,  or 
wealthy  patriots ;  but  if  there  is  little  prospect 
of  their  doing  so,  I  must  either  delay  or  curtail 
the  publication  of  the  interesting  materials  col 
lected  for  20  years  past. 


INTRODUCTION. 

THE  feelings  that  lead  some  men  to  investi 
gate  remains  of  antiquity  and  search  into  their 
origin,  dates  and  purposes,  are  similar  to  those 
actuating  lofty  minds,  when  not  satisfied  with 
the  surface  of  things,  they  inquire  into  the 
source  and  origin  of  every  thing  accessible  to 
human  ken,  and  scrutinize  or  analize  every  tan 
gible  object.  Such  feelings  lead  us  to  trace 
events  and  principles,  to  ascend  rivers  to  their 
sources,  to  climb  the  rugged  sides  of  mountains 
and  reach  their  lofty  summits,  to  plough  the 
waves  and  dive  into  the  sea,  or  even  soar  into 
the  air,  to  scan  and  measure  the  heavenly 
bodies,  and  at  last  to  lift  our  eyes  and  souls  to 
the  Supreme  Being,  the  source  of  all. — Appli 
ed  to  mankind  the  same  feelings  invite  us  to 
seek  for  the  origin  of  arts  and  sciences,  the 
steps  of  civilization  on  earth,  the  rise  of  nations, 
states  and  empires,  tracing  their  cradles,  dis 
persions  and  migrations  by  the  dim  records  of 
traditional  tales,  or  the  more  certain  monumen 
tal  evidence  of  human  structures. 

This  last  evidence  is  but  a  branch  of  the  ar- 
cheological  science,  embracing  besides  the 
study  of  documents,  records,  medals,  coins,  in 
scriptions,  implements,  &c.,  buried  in  the  earth 
or  hidden  in  recesses:  while  the  ruins  of  cities, 
palaces  and  temples,  altars  and  graves,  pyra 
mids  and  towers,  walls  and  roads,  sculptures 
and  idols — reveal  to  our  inquiries  not  only  the 
existence  of  their  devisers  and  framers  at  their 
locations,  but  give  us  a  view  of  their  civiliza 
tion,  religions,  manners  and  abilities. 


4  AMERICAN 

If  the  annals  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  had 
been  lost,  as  have  been  those  of  Egypt,  of  Assy 
ria  and  many  other  early  empires,  we  should 
still  have  in  the  ruins  and  monuments  of  Italy, 
and  Greece,  complete  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  those  nations,  their  location,  power  and  skill ; 
nay,  even  of  the  extent  of  their  dominion  by 
their  colonial  monuments,  scattered  from  Syria 
to  Spain,  from  Lybia  to  Britain.  If  the  British 
annals  should  ever  be  lost  hereafter  by  neglect 
or  revolutions,  the  ruins  of  dwellings,  churches, 
monuments  &c.,  built  in  the  British  style,  will 
reveal  the  existence  or  preserve  the  memory  of 
the  wide  extent  of  British  power  by  colonies 
sent  from  North  America  to  Guyana,  from  Hin 
dustan  to  Ceylon,  South  Africa  and  Australia. 

And  thus  it  is  in  both  Americas  where  many 
nations  and  empires  have  dwelt  and  passed 
away,  risen  and  fallen  by  turns,  leaving  few  or 
no  records,  except  the  traces  of  their  existence, 
and  widely  spread  colonies  by  the  ruins  of  their 
cities  and  monuments,  standing  yet  as  silent 
witnesses  of  past  dominion  and  great  power.  It 
is  only  of  late  that  they  have  begun  to  deserve 
the  attention  of  learned  men  and  historians — 
what  had  been  stated  by  Ulloa,  Humboldt, 
Juarros,  Delrio,  &c.,  of  some  of  them,  chiefly 
found  in  the  Spanish  part  of  America,  as  well 
as  the  scattered  accounts  of  the  many  frag 
ments  found  in  North  America,  from  the  lakes 
of  Canada  to  Louisiana,  although  confined  to  a 
few  places  or  widely  remote  localities,  have  be 
gun  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  all  inquiring  men, 
and  are  soon  likely  to  deserve  as  much  interest 
as  the  famed  ruins  of  Palmyra  and  Thebes, 
Babylon  and  Persepolis  ;  when  the  future  his 
torians  of  America  shall  make  known  the  won- 


MONUMENTS.  i) 

dcrful  and  astonishing  results  that  thr-y  have 
suggested,  or  will  soon  unfold,  particularly  when 
accurately  surveyed  and  explored,  drawn  and 
engraved;  instead  of  being  hidden  and  veiled, 
or  hardly  noticed  by  the  detractors  of  the 
Americans,  the  false  historians  of  the  school  of 
Depaw  and  Robertson,  who  have  perverted  or 
omitted  the  most  striking  features  of  American 
history. 

The  most  erroneous  conceptions  prevail  as 
yet  concerning  them,  and  the  most  rude  or  ab 
surd  ideas  are  entertained  in  our  country  of 
their  objects  and  nature.  As  in  modern  Greece, 
every  ruin  is  now  a  Paleo-castro  or  old  castle 
for  the  vulgar  peasant  or  herdsman,  thus  all 
our  ruins  of  the  West  are  Indian  forts  for  the 
settlers  of  the  Western  states ;  and  every 
traveller  gazing  at  random  at  a  few,  exclaims 
that  nothing  is  known  about  them,  nor  their 
builders.  The  more  refined  writers  can  be 
very  sentimental  on  their  veiled  origin,  but 
scarcely  any  one  takes  the  trouble  to  compare 
them  with  others  elsewhere,  in  or  out  of  Amer 
ica,  which  would  be,  however,  the  only  means 
to  attain  the  object  they  seem  desirous  of,  or  to 
unravel  their  historical  riddle.  Some  writers 
speak  of  them  as  if  they  were  onfy  a  few  mounds 
and  graves,  scarcely  worthy  of  notice ;  yet 
they  are  such  mounds  as  are  found  yet  in  the 
Trojan  plains,  sung  by  Homer,  dating  at  least 
three  thousand  years  ago,  and  even  by  many 
deemed  earlier  than  the  Trojan  war,  and  still 
existing  to  this  day  to  baffle  our  inquiries: 
while  similar  monuments  existing  by  thousands 
in  the  plains  of  Scythia  and  Tartary,  Persia  and 
Arabia,  as  well  as  the  forests  and  prairies  of 
North  America,  evince  a  striking  connexion  of 


0  AMERICAN 

purpose  and  skill   by  remote  ancient  nations  of 
both  hemispheres. 

But  our  monuments  do  not  merely  consist  in 
such  mounds  or  tumuli,  since  we  find  besides  in 
North  America,  ruins  of  cities,  some  of  which 
were  walled  with  earth  or  even  stones,  real  forts 
or  citadels,  temples  and  altars  of  all  shapes,  but 
chiefly  circular,  square  or  polygonal,  some  ellip 
tical,  hexagonal,  octagonal,  <£c.,  quite  regularly 
pointing  to  the  cardinal  points.  We  have  also 
traces  of  buildings,  foundations,  roads,  avenues, 
causeways,  canals,  bridges,  dromes,  or  race 
courses,  pillars  and  pyramids,  wells,  pits,  are- 
.  nas,  <£c.  And  of  these  not  a  few,  but  hundreds 
of  them,  many  of  which  are  unsurveyed  and  un- 
described  as  yet.  These,  it  must  be  recollect 
ed,  are  all  north  of  Mexico,or  the  region  of  the 
more  perfect  monuments  of  Mexican  an$  Cen 
tral  America,  although  often  in  the  same  style. 
There,  as  in  South  America,  structures  are  met 
of  the  most  elaborate  workmanship,  of  cut  and 
carved  stones,with  hard  cement,  vaulted  arches, 
fine  sculptures  and  even  inscriptions.  The  ma 
terials  of  our  Northern  monuments  are  often 
rnder,  chieffy  of  earth,  clay,  gravel,  small  stones, 
or  even  shells  near  the  sea-shores,  sometimes 
of  piz&  or  beaten  and  rammed  clay,  (as  in  Pe 
ru,)  unbaked  bricks  and  rough  stones.  These 
facts  may  confirm  the  Mexican  traditions,  stat 
ing  that  the  nations  of  Anahuac  (now  Mexico) 
once  dwelt  further  north,  in  our  fruitful  Wes 
tern  plains,  where  wood  abounded  and  stones 
were  scarce,  wherefore  they  built  their  cities 
and  /emples  of  wood,  raising  altars,  platforms, 
walls  and  entrenchments  of  earth  or  clay. 

The  dreams  and  false  hypotheses  upon  Amer 
ica  have  amused  the  learned  for  ages: in  attempt- 


MONUMENTS.  7 

ing  to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  Americans 
and  their  monuments,  they  have  generally  ne 
glected  to  compare  them  with  the  monuments 
and  languages  of  all  the  other  nations  scattered 
over  the  whole  earth,  or  else  only  taking  a  par 
tial  view  of  them,  comparing  a  few  fragments  of 
two  or  three  nations  or  regions,  a  few  words  of 
a  centesimal  part  of  the  actual  languages,  the 
writers  or  historians  have  fallen  into  egregious 
mistakes;  more  fond  of  systematic  errors  than 
hidden  truth,  they  have  indulged,  without  due 
consideration,  in  mere  dreams  or  systems,  bas 
ed  on  a  few  facts,  that  are  overruled  by  hun 
dreds  of  other  facts,  unknown  to  them,  or  ne 
glected  when  known.  It  would  be  useless  and 
tedious  to  refute  again  such  false  systems,  that 
have  been  refuted  and  upset  by  each  other.  It 
may,  however,  be  needful,  perhaps,  to  mention 
three  of  the  most  absurd,  in  order  to  warn 
against  them,  or  show  their  improbability  and 
impossibility.  They  may  be  called  for  distinc 
tion  sake,  the  Jewish  system,  the  Mongolic 
system,  and  the  American  system. 

Among  these  the  first  named  is  one  of  the 
oldest,  and  at  the  same  time,  has  yet  a  power 
ful  hold  upon  many  minds;  it  ascribes  the 
whole  American  population  with  one  hundred 
languages  and  one  thousand  dialects,  myriads 
of  ruins  and  monuments,  to  the  Jews  !  either  of 
the  ten  dispersed  tribes,  who  were  not  Jews  but 
Israelites — or  of  Solomon's  time  and  voyages, 
while  the  Jews  only  began  to  exist  as  such  after 
his  death — or  of  patriarchal  times  antecedent 
to  their  existence,when  they  were  only  OBR1M, 
whom  we  miscall  Hebrews,  or  going  still  fur 
ther  back  to  the  times  of  Noah  and  Peleg,  when 
not  even  the  Obrim  had  any  existence.  It  has 


8  AMISKICANA. 

been  proved  that  the  American  nations  did  not 
possess  the  use  of  the  plough,  iron,  alphabets,  or 
week  of  seven  days,  which  no  Jewish  nor  He 
brew  descendants  could  have  forgotten.  The 
American  languages  have  as  much,  or  more 
affinities  with  the  Sanscrit,  Greek,  Latin,Celtic, 
Persian,  Berber,  Turkish,  &c.,  languages,  than 
with  the  old  and  modern  Hebrew  and  Arabic. 
The  Jews  or  IEUDI,  who  only  began  two  thou 
sand  four  hundred  years  ago  were  not  naviga 
tors;  therefore  it  is  evident  that  they  cannot 
have  come  to  America  and  produced  here  the 
two  thousand  nations  and  tribes  of  this  vast 
continent :  nay,  not  even  a  single  one  of  them 
perhaps.  $4  fafu 

The  Mongolic  opinion,  lately  revived  by 
Ranking,  is  the  most  extravagant  of  all,  since 
it  ventures  to  assert  seriously,  and  derive  all 
these  nations  and  languages  from  late  colonies 
of  Mongols  within  less  than  one  thousand  years 
ago,  who  came  to  America  over  the  ice,  bring 
ing  with  them  tame  elephants  for  sport,  that  are 
since  become  the  fossil  elephants  and  mam 
moths  buried  in  our  diluvial  or  alluvial  soil — to 
state  these  absurdities  is  a  sufficient  refutation, 
every  man  of  any  reading  and  scientific  know 
ledge  will  perceive  the  impossibility. 

Galindo  and  Josiah  Priest  have  quite  lately 
revived  also  the  opinion  of  some  dreaming 
philosophers  who  had  asserted  that  America 
was  the  cradle  of  mankind  or  one  of  them, 
instead  of  Central  Asia.  Galindo  allows,  how 
ever,  the  Caucasian  race  of  men  to  be  distinct; 
but  he  says — "  The  human  race  of  America 
I  -must  assert  to  be  the  most  ancient  on  the 
globe;"* 
*  Letter  to  Col,  Winthrop,  in  2d  vol.  Archcologia  Americana, 


MONUMENTS. 


9 


He  goes  on  to  state  that  to  the  primaeval 
civilization  of  America  must  be  assigned  a  great 
and  indefinite  antiquity,  leaving  however  no 
palpable  monuments ;  but  sending  colonies  to 
civilize  China  and  Japan  !  is  not  this  preposte 
rous?  where  are  the  proofs  either  from  tradi 
tions,  languages,  monuments  or  other  sources  ? 

Meantime  Josiah  Priest,  in  his  compilation 
on  American  antiquities,  has  boldly  asserted 
that  Noah's  ark  rested  in  America,  (where 
about  ?)  and  that  he  had  three  sons,  one  white, 
one  red  and  one  black !  (what  was  the  color 
of  their  wives?)  from  whom  are  descended  the 
three  races  of  mankind,  who  colonized  the 
whole  earth,  leaving,  however,  neither  white 
nor  black  in  America  The  glaring  incongruity, 
of  these  bold  assertions,  or  of  the  indefinite  ori 
gin  of  Galindo  are  equally  palpable;  but  never 
theless  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  will  find 
now  and  hereafter  other  advocates,  since  the 
absurd  Jewish  origin  of  all  the  Americans  has 
still  many  believers^  and  even  Ranking  has  per 
haps  some  supporters. 

To  admit  that  America  was  the  only  cradle 
of  mankind,  is  based  on  no  evidence  whatever, 
either  historical  or  philological  or  monumental: 
while  on  the  contrary  all  the  monuments  and 
records  of  the  eastern  continent  trace  this 
cradle  to  Central  Asia.  To  suppose  that  Amer 
ica  was  one  of  the  human  cradles,  is  certainly 
worthy  of  inquiry ;  but  such  a  cradle  must  be 
sought  for  and  located  somewhere,  and  neither 
the  volcanic  mountains,  nor  swampy  plains  of 
South  America,  nor  the  frigid  wilds  of  North 
America,  appear  calculated  to  offer  it.  Others 
have  been  thought  of  in  Africa  and  Australia  ; 
but  seldom  in  the  spirit  of  seeking  truth,  rather 


10  AMERICAN 

in  that  of  supporting  some  favorite  doctrine. 
Such  speculations  ought  at  least  to  be  based  on 
better  foundations  than  mere  assertions,  evident 
philological  proofs  are  required  before  they  can 
be  listened  to,  and  no  total  and  complete  diver 
sity  of  mankind  in  every  aspect  has  been  found 
any  where  to  support  the  theory  of  a  plurality 
of  human  species  arid  Cradles.  Europe  and 
Africa  have  been  repeatedly  invaded  by  mi 
grations  from  Asia.  In  America  such  migra 
tions  can  be  traced  north  and  east  by  the  At 
lantic  ocean,  or  north  west  from  Berhring's 
strait,  while  we  have  not  the  faintest  indica 
tion  of  invasions  of  Asia  from  America,  The 
only  traditional  account  of  the  invasion  of  Eu 
rope,  and  North  Africa  by  the  Atlantes  (pro 
bably  Americans,  for  the  great  Atlantis  was 
this  continent)  is  involved  in  doubt,  and  besides 
these  very  Atlantes  were  deemed  Neptunian  co 
lonies;  although  it  must  be  confessed  that  in 
almost  every  instance  the  colonists  to  America 
appear  to  have  found  previous  inhabitants,  who 
must  have  been  still  earlier  and  remote  colo 
nies,  if  they  were  not  indigenous.  But  the  sea 
shores  of  North  America  from  Labrador  to 
Carolina  were  desert  at  a  very  late  period  com 
paratively,  when  the  Western  tribes  came 
there. 

The  actual  purpose  does  not  extend  to  all  the 
details  of  these  deep  inquiries,  but  is  chiefly 
confined  to  ascertain  and  prove  the  similarity  of 
the  oldest  primitive  monuments  of  both  hemis 
pheres,  and  whereby  a  connection  of  coeval  and 
similar  civilization  is  evinced  in  the  earliest 
times  before  the  records  of  history.  This  evi 
dence,  which  may  be  called  monumental,  dives 
into  the  gloom  of  past  ages,  and  hence  descends 


MONUMENTS.  11 

I 

to  ours,  reaching  our  understanding  by  gradual 
links :  while  the  philological  evidence  of  spoken 
modern  languages,  fragments  or  children  of  ol 
der  primitive  languages,  ascends  hy  their  means 
to  equal  antiquity ;  both  combining,  therefore, 
to  complete  the  history  of  mankind,  where  an 
nals  and  traditions  cease  to  lead  us  or  are  quite 
obscure:  these  combined  bring  more  certainty 
to  the  scrutinising  mind  than  the  mere  phy 
sical  features  of  men,  and  their  complexions,  so 
fluctuating  and  mingled.  But  neither  of  them 
solve  the  question  of  the  actual  original  Cradle 
or  Cradles  of  mankind.  If  indeed  monuments 
and  languages  of  various  parts  of  the  earth 
were  quite  different,  and  the  features  or  colors 
of  men  likewise  distinct  there,  we  might  sup 
pose  there  could  have  been  several  species  and 
cradles  of  men:  but  it  is  not  so,  features  and 
languages  are  so  variable  and  mingling  in  our 
own  times,  and  so  diversified  every  where,  as  to 
baffle  and  preclude  complete  insulation.  Mon 
uments  are  also  after  all  so  much  alike  in  many 
remote  parts,  that  although  divisible  into  styles 
of  various  ages  and  stages  of  improvement,  they 
do  evince  a  great  similarity  in  coeval  ages  or 
stages  of  civilization. 

To  prove  this  great  fact  and  the  important 
results,  might  be  the  subject  of  a  large  work, 
and  we  have  heard  that  Mr.  Warden  has  been 
engaged  in  Paris  in  something  of  this  kind. 
His  work  has  not  yet  reached  us;  but  when 
ever  it  will  be  completed,  it  shall  be  only  one 
step  towards  the  elucidation  of  this  deep  theme. 
Many  facts  are  yearly  evolved  in  America,new 
researches  undertaken  and  discoveries  made : 
while  in  Africa,  Lybia,  Arabia,  Persia,  India 
and  even  the  Oceanic  world  of  Australia  and 


AM H It  It:  A. \ 

Polynesia,  similar  discoveries  are  progressing 
and  new  facts  made  known,  that  will  unfold 
many  new  and  unexpected  analogies  with 
American  inquiries.  Of  the  early  Monuments 
of  China,  Tartary  and  Thibet,  we  know  little 
or  nothing,  and  in  the  very  heart  of  Asia,  the 
real  Cradle  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  if  not  man 
kind  itself,  our  learned  travellers  have  not  yet 
penetrated,  and  the  most  interesting  region  of 
the  globe  is  thus  almost  unknown  to  us.  This 
subject  is  therefore  in  a  progressive  state  of  in 
quiries,  and  future  ages  will  yet  add  thereto: 
although  a  number  of  Ruins  and  Monuments 
crumble  or  disappear  under  the  plough  or  the 
leveling  energy  of  men,  little  respecting  these 
structures  of  antiquity,  enough  of  unexplored 
sites  will  be  discovered  and  surveyed :  some  of 
our  rudest  monuments  appear  indestructible,  the 
lofty  mounds  of  earth  have  withstood  like  the 
heavy  pyramids  of  Egypt,  the  lapse  of  count 
less  ages,  some  even  appear  now  covered  with 
a  dress  of  new  soil,  or  even  diluvial  coat,  as  if 
they  were  antediluvian  ! 

Meantime  we  may  endeavor  to  collect  and 
compare  the  facts  already  known,  and  deduce 
therefrom  some  useful  instruction  to  satisfy  cu-  • 
riosity  or  gratify  the  greedy  wish  to  ascend  to 
the  origin  of  every  thing,  and  of  mankind  above 
all.  The  most  proper  and  obvious  way  to  elu 
cidate  American  Antiquities  and  Monuments, 
would  be  by  classifying  them,  which  has  how- 
ever  never  been  attempted,  having  always  been 
noticed  or  elucidated  loosely  at  random,  or  in 
a  kind  of  geographical  arrangement  of  the  re 
gions  where  found.  Such  classification  might 
be  based  either  on  their  styles, forms  and  mate 
rials,  or  ultimately  their  ascertained  scopes  of 


MONUMKMS.  Ill 

purposes  which  arc  even  now  often  doubtful  or 
elouhted.  They  might  thus  be  divided  into 
classes  or  series  easily  distinguished  between 
themselves,  but  all  finding  their  equivalents  or 
similar  structures  in  the  .Eastern  Continent,  an 
important  fact  to  be  kept  in  mind.  There  are 
out  of  America  some  structures  not  found  in  it, 
but  there  are  none  in  it  that  cannot  be  detected 
somewhere  else,  either  in  Europe,  North  Africa 
or  Asia,  Polynesia.  &c,  among  the  earliest 
Monuments  or  Ruins,  or  the  rudest  structures. 
None  of  the  latest  styles  and  improved  Archi 
tecture,  such  as  Colonnades,  roofed  temples, 
Budhist  and  Mahometan  temples,  Gothic  or 
Modern  Churches,  fortifications  with  large 
towers  or  bastions — are  met  in  America,  being 
a  convincing  proof  that  all  the  American  struc 
tures  were  of  a  previous  date,  or  of  an  earlier 
style,  than  these  later. 

But  even  some  very  ancient  Eastern  struc 
tures  are  lacking  in  America,  or  only  found  in  a 
modified  form.  Thus  although  the  Cyclopian 
structures  had  been  denied  to  America,  they 
are  not  quite  lacking ;  although  their  Tyrin- 
thian  style,  the  rudest  of  huge  unshapen  blocks 
of  stone  put  together,  has  not  yet  been  met 
with,  the  other  Cyclopian  styles  are  found  of 
rough  polygones  or  irregular  squared  stones : 
the  most  common  however  is  of  rough  flat 
stones  put  together  pretty  much  as  our  dry  walls 
are  to  this  day  by  us. 

If  we  do  not  exactly  find  in  this  Continent, 
the  Celtic  style  of  Stonehenge  and  circles  of 
stones  scattered  from  Persia  to  Scotland,  we 
meet  several  other  branches  of  the  Celtic  style, 
standing  rough  pillars,  massive  altars,  circles 
of  earth, fortified  villages  similar  to  those  of  Bri- 


N 


AM  Lit  It  A*. 


tain,  miscalled  Ho  man  Camps,  although  no 
such  camps  are  found  where  the  Romans  went 
out  of  Celtica,  and  the  American  camps  or  forts 
are  certainly  not  Roman !  Whether  the  Celtic 
race  ever  came  to  America  has  been  doubted, 
and  may  be  deemed  doubtful  yet :  there  are 
two  strong  arguments  against  it  at  least,  the 
lack  of  Monuments  like  the  Stonehenge  tem 
ples,  and  the  Celtic  structure  of  Language,  or 
regular  series  of  interposed  ideas  not  being 
widely  spread  in  America,  and  chiefly  found  in 
Brazil  and  Florida,  where  nations  of  another 
lineage  dwelt.  Yet  it  is  pretty  certain,  not 
withstanding  that  nearly  all  the  writers,  omit  it 
or  deny  it,  that  the  old  Celts  had  an  intercourse 
of  trade  in  America  once,  even  from  Gaul.  It 
has  lately  been  discovered  by  Sir  A.  Brooke, 
that  there  are  Celtic  monuments  in  Morocco, 
he  describes  a  large  mound  with  a  circle  of 
stones  around.  The  N.  W.  of  Africa  must  in 
very  early  time  have  been  one  of  the  regions 
whence  the  Atlantes  went  or  came  ;  this  is  an 
historical  fact,  and  their  posterity  yet  live  in 
Africa  from  Mount  Atlas  to  Nubia,  their  lan 
guage  have  the  Celtic  and  Semetic  structure. 
They  gave  name  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
this  name  is  one  of  the  few  <hat  have  reached 
our  times,  Africa  and  Spain  once  joined,  even 
the  Berbers  have  a  tradition  of  it.  The  same 
Nations  filled  Lybia  and  Spain,  the  Bas-Tules, 
As-Tures  of  Spain  were  Tulas,  Turas,  as  in 
Central  Asia  and  Central  America ;  so  were 
also  the  Tur-tules  or  Tur-detani,  &c.  while 
the  Cantes  of  Spain  were  akin  to  the  Antes  of 
Lybia,  Hy antes  of  Greece.  The  Greeks  have 
stated  that  their  Atlantes  or  Atalantoi  were 


15  MONUMENTS. 

formed  of  the  united  nations  of  Atlas  and  Antoi 
or  Anteus. 

Pyramids  exactly  similar  to  those  of  Egypt, 
and  pillared  temples  similar  to  those  of  Thebes, 
are  not  met  with  in  America  ;  but  \\e  have 
their  equivalent  in  the  pyramidal  Teocalis  of 
Anahuac,  and  the  temples  of  Peru,  similar  to 
the  pyramidal  temples  of  Assyria  arid  India, 
towers  in  stages  like  those  of  Lybia,  Syria  and 
China,  In  all  cases  the  materials  depend  pretty 
much  on  the  localities,  and  the  kind  of  stones 
or  proper  materials  at  hand,  although  often  car 
ried  from  a  distance,  and  requiring  the  joint  la 
bors  of  many  thousand  men  during  several 
years. 

But  it  has  been  ascertained  that  there  were 
older  inhabitants  in  the  west  of  Europe,  than 
these  very  Celts,  Cantes  and  Atlantes.  The 
Creons  a  superior  race  that  erected  the  annual 
monumental  pillars  of  Carnac  in  Brittany,  the 
Cunis  or  Cynetes,  that  dvvelt  at  the  S.  W.  of 
Spain  and  Portugal,  the  degraded  Vassals  or 
outcasts  of  the  Celts  called  Cacoux,  Cahets, 
dunigos,  whose  posterity  is  not  yet  quite  ex 
tinct.  The  Eskuaras  now  called  Basks  and 
Gascons,  but  formerly  Cantabrians  were  the 
Cantas  of  the  river  Ebro,  they  had  great  affini 
ties  of  Language  with  many  American  nations. 
The  Atlantic  monuments  may  be  distinctly 
traced  from  Syria  and  Greece  to  Lybia.  Moroc 
co,  4«c.  Immense  mounds  have  been  found  as 
far  South  as  the  river  Nun.  Of  these  Atlantes 
their  countries,  deeds  of  yore,  &c.  much  has 
been  written,  and  much  more  remains  to  be  elu 
cidated  :  they  can  be  traced  Eastward  as  far 
as  the  very  Centre  of  Asia,  once  called  Turan, 
through  Scvthia,  in  the  North  and  Persia  in  the 


16  AMERICAN 

South,  to  the  utmost  verge  of  Africa  and  Eu 
rope  Westwards.  Next  to  the  famed  Island 
Atlantis,  or  rather  Megatlantides  which  was 
America !  the  smaller  Atlantis  seated  midway 
between  the  two  continents,  has  been  supposed 
to  have  sunk  when  the  Volcanos  of  the  Azores, 
Canaries  and  other  African  Islands  did  explode. 

The  American  Nations  connected'with  these 
were  widely  scattered  in  America,  and  chiefly 
wherever  the  earliest  monuments  were  spread, 
even  as  far  as  Chili  to  the  South,  in  Guyana  to 
the  East  under  the  name  of  Alures  or  Atules, 
and  Northwards  as  far  as  Ohio  and  Illinois,  It 
is  easy  to  trace  surprising  analogies  of  Langua 
ges  between  the  early  languages  of  South  Eu 
rope  and  North  Africa,  with  the  Chilians,  Peru 
vians,  Muyzcas,  Haytians,  Tulansor  Tol-tecas, 
&.C.,  and  many  other  pre-eminent  Nations  of 
this  Continent. 

By  the  useful  process  of  generalization  we 
may  collect  the  following  important  results  con 
cerning  our  monuments :  1.  They  are  scattered 
all  over  Amer.  from  lat.  45d.  N.  to  45d.  S.  of  the 
Equator,  thus  occupying  90d.  of  latitude,  which 
is  no  where  else  the  case. — 2.  They  chiefly  oc 
cupy  a  flexuose  belt  from  our  great  Lakes  to 
Mexico,  Guatemala,  Panama,  Quito,  Peru  and 
Chili. — 3.  There  are  few  or  none  in  Boreal 
America,  the  Eastern  Shores  of  it  as  far  as  Vir 
ginia,  the  Western  as  far  as  California,  nor  in 
the  Antilles,  Guyana,  Orinoco,  Maragnon,  Bra 
zil,  Paraguay  and  Patagonia;  although  some  of 
these  regions  not  having  yet  been  properly  ex 
plored  may  hereafter  offer  some  likewise. — 4. 
Those  known  from  our  Eastern  Shores,  the 
Antilles  and  Brazil  are  few,  and  of  a  peculiar 
character,  distinct  from  the  general  style  of  the 


MONUMENTS.  17 

others.  In  New  Hampshire  concentric  castra- 
mations  have  been  found  as  in  Peru,  but  not  of 
stone  nor  shaped  like  stars.  In  Massachusetts 
inscribed  rocks  are  met  with,  those  of  Penn 
sylvania  East  of  the  mountains  are  rude  and 
small,  and  such  they  are  as  far  as  Virginia  and 
Carolina.  In  the  Antilles  or  West  Indies,  they 
are  chiefly  caves,  temples  and  tombs.  In  Bra 
zil  we  know  of  but  few,  but  they  are  of  stone 
and  peculiar  style. — 5.  Therefore  the  main 
monuments  and  structures  occupy  only  one 
half  of  America  or  even  less,  they  are  mostly 
thickly  scattered  in  the  fertile  regions  near 
rivers,  from  Ohio  to  Florida,  from  Missouri  to 
Texas,  from  Sonora  to  Honduras,  from  Bogota 
to  Chili,  &c.  being  often  on  high  grounds  and 
mountains,  table  lands  and  valleys,  seldom  in 
the  low  plains. 

Such  are  the  most  interesting  by  number  and 
extensive  spreading  locations.  Yet  there  are 
among  them  various  ages  and  styles,  the  Flori- 
dan  or  North  American,  the  Mexican  or  Ana- 
huac,  the  Guatimalan  or  Tulan,  the  Peruvian  or 
Inca — Series,  are  all  somewhat  different,  min 
gled  with  others  of  earlier  or  various  ages — in 
Peru  the  Pucaras  or  oldest  fortified  cities  in 
a  stellate  form  are  of  earliest  ages,  the  ruins  of 
Tiahuanaco  with  sculptures  of  a  remote  period, 
the  ruins  of  Chimu  of  another  style  yet,  all  dif 
ferent  from  the  style  of  the  Incas.  In  central 
America,  the  Cave-temples — the  fortified  cities 
and  Palaces — and  the  Teocalis  or  Pyramids 
and  Towers,  offer  as  many  eras  and  styles. 

In  North  America  we  have  also  at  least  three 
great  Eras  and  styles  of  monuments,  the  first  or 
most  rude,  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  An 
tilles;  excavations,  small  houses  &c.  and  this* 
3 


AMERICAN 

although  so  rude,  is  found  to  have  lasted  till 
very  lately,  as  our  log-house  style  is  lasting  with 
us  along  with  large  stone  buildings.  2.  A  pri 
mitive  style  using  earth  and  wood  or  rough 
stones  for  large  and  fine  structures,  temple  s, 
^•e.  3.  The  most  refined  employing  cut  stores 
and  ornaments,  &c.,  rare  in  the  North,  but  be 
coming  more  common  towards  Mexico. 

We  may  assert  in  ultimate  result  that  Amer 
ica  had  no  Monuments  of  Grecian  or  Roman 
structures,  except  such  as  belong  to  primitive 
Italy  and  Greece,  ascribed  to  their  ancestors 
as  a  different  race  the  Pelagic,  Curetes,  Hyan- 
tes,  Taulantes,  Aones,  and  other  similar  old 
tribes  or  nations,  long  previous  to  Roman  pow 
er  and  Grecian  refinement,  above  all  no  colon 
nades  and  no  baked  bricks.  None  of  our  mon 
uments  were  like  the  best  Celtic  structures,  but 
rather  similar  to  the  earliest  or  ruder  Celtic 
Style,  if  not  perhaps  previous,  such  as  standing 
or  rocking  stones,  rough  pillars  and  pilasters, 
tumuli  and  mounds,  circular  and  angular  areas 
and  temples.  None  were  like  the  Egyptian 
temples  and  pyramids,  our  American  pyramids 
being  rather  in  stages,  as  iu  Ethiopia,  Assyria, 
India,  &c,,  or  in  huge  platforms  bearing  tem 
ples  and  palaces,  as  in  Balbec  and  Persepolis, 
but  by  no  means  so  ornamented,  nor  with  such 
huge  stones.  None  were  like  the  Tyrinthian  or 
Titanic  style,  but  rather  a  modification  of  it. 
None  like  the  slender  pillars  and  round  towers 
of  India,  Persia,  Ireland.  None  like  the  modern 
structure  of  the  Christians,  Mahometans,  Bud- 
hists,  Chinese  &c.,  no  Gothic  or  Arabic  style, 
nor  domes  were  found.  The  inference  cannot 
trace  any  of  these  religions  to  America  by  their 
peculiar  structures. 


MONUMENTS.  19 

While  on  the  ofher  side,  we  can  assert  and 
prove  that  the  American  monuments  were  more 
or  less   alike   to.     1,  The   oldest    monuments, 
square  and  circular  platforms  of  all  shapes  and 
sizes,  some  as  large  as  hills  or  evtfi  natural  hills 
cut  to  shapes  for  altars,  or  support  of  temples 
and  staged    pyramids,  <$-c.,  as   are  found  from 
Celtica  and  Ireland  to  France,    Spain,  Italy, 
Greece,  Russia,  &c.,  from  Morocco  to  Senegal, 
Lybia   and   Abyssinia ;  in  Asia,  from   Natolia 
and   the   Trojan  plain,  to   Syria  and    Arabia, 
Persia,  Media  around  the  Caspian,  and  even  in 
India,  Tartary  and  China  ;  also,  the  Morals  of 
Polynesia.     All  of  which  were  the  primitive  al 
tars  of  early  men   or  their   imitation  in  later 
times  as  in  China.— 2.  Or  like  the  Cave  temples, 
scattered   also  from  Ireland  to  India,  found  in 
Greece,  Syria,  Egypt,  Persia,  &c.,  sometimes 
like  the  excavated  cities  of  the  Troglodyte  na 
tions,  found  in  Sicily,  Crete,  Cyprus,  Syria,  Ara 
bia,  Cabul  at  Bamiyan,  &c. — 3d.  Or  like  the 
massive  structures  of  stones  of  earliest  ages,the 
Norajes  or  Conical  towers  of  Sardinia  and  the 
Balearic  Islands,  the  angular  towers  of  Lybia, 
&c.  imitated  in  Peru,  Brazil,  Guatimala,Chiapa 
&c. — 4th.  Or  like  the  fortified  cities  of  oldest 
ages  in  Persia,  India,  Arabia,  Turan,  $c.  imi 
tated  in  Peru,  and  Central  America,  often  with 
concentric  inclosures  or  curious  shapes,  some 
times  with  arks  or  citadels  or  acropolis,  as  in 
Persia,  Greece,  Etruria  &c.— 5th.  Or  like  the 
vast  inclosures  and  sacred  areas  of  temples,with 
peculiar  cells  or  holy  recesses,  shrines,  oracles, 
&c.,  as  in  India,  China,  Thibet,  formerly  in  Sy 
ria,  Egypt,  Assyria,  even  like  the  old  temples 
of  Mecca  and  Solomon ;  such  are  found  in  Peru 
Tunca,  Mexic6,  North  America  as  far  as  Mis- 


29  AMERICAN 

souri,  where  most  were  of  wood  as  were  the 
first  temples  of  Solomon,  Tyre,  Delphos,  and 
are  yet  in  China  very  often. 

Then  it  is  evident  that  the  American  Monu 
ments  are  similar  to  the  oldest  and  earliest  of 
the  Eastern  Continent,  or  the  modern  ones  that 
are  yet  built  there  on  the  primitive  models.  We 
have  some  late  instances  of  it  even  in  Europe, 
when  the  huge  mound  of  Waterloo  was  erected 
after  the  battle  of  that  name.  Grecian  build 
ings  are  often  built  now  in  Europe  and  Amer 
ica,  the  Gothic  style  has  travelled  from  Arabia 
to  Europe  and  is  not  yet  quite  out  of  use.  The 
national  altars  of  the  Celestial  Empire  at  Pekin 
in  China  are  yet  exactly  similar  to  those  of  ear 
liest  times,  and  found  in  America. 

Architecture  and  the  various  styles  it  has 
employed  for  monuments,  temples,  cities  &c. 
have  undergone  several  changes  and  improve 
ments,  from  the  rude  imitations  of  a  tent,  or 
cottage,  or  hill,  to  that  of  pyramids,  towers,  pil 
lars,  colonnades,  caves,  norajes,  teocalis,  &c., 
from  irregular  inclosures  to  square,  circular, 
octagon  forms,  from  heaps  of  earth  forming 
ditches,  canals,  to  regular  walled  excavations. 
Styles  of  building  are  fluctuating  with  the  Na 
tions  and  times,  taste  and  religion :  some  are 
occasionally  revived  or  improved  ;  yet  they 
have  a  certain  duration,  location,  or  age,  and 
origin  somewhere.  Nevertheless  they  may  hap 
pen  to  be  blended  by  the  same  people  ;  our  own 
modern  civilization  admits  yet  of  the  tents  in 
camps,  the  loghouse,  the  shed,  the  hut,  the  cot 
tage,  the  houses  of  wood,  brick  or  stone,  pala 
ces  and  temples,  theatres,  Capitols,  and  negro 
huts  !  We  must  not  be  surprised  to  see  the 
same  incongruity  and  admixture  in  various  parts 


MONUMENTS.  %i 

of  America  in  former  times.  Many  tribes  fol 
lowed  300  years  ago  the  style  of  3000  years  be 
fore,  as  yet  partly  done  in  China. 

Every  thing  on  earth  follows  the  universal 
law  of  terrestrial  mutations,  monuments  and 
arts,  as  well  as  languages  and  human  features! 
they  rise  and  fall  like  the  nations,  mingle  or 
blend  as  our  modern  English  nation  and  lan 
guage  formed  out  of  many  others.  What  di 
versity  in  any  one  of  our  cities  in  complexions, 
statures  and  features  of  men !  there  are  more 
differences  between  some  men  of  our  own  race, 
than  between  negroes,  red  or  white  men. 
White,  black  and  bay  horses,  are  not  peculiar 
species,  nor  are  men  of  different  hues,  hairs, 
eyes,  noses,  &c.  tttocr 

Inscriptions  are  monuments  also,  and  of  the 
highest  value,  even  when  we  cannot  read  them. 
Some  of  these  will  be  hereafter,  since  those  of 
Egypt  so  long  deemed  inexplicable,  have  at  last 
found  interpreters.  So  it  will  be  at  a  future  day, 
with  those  of  America.  Few  have  been  made 
known  as  yet,  but  there  are  many  all  over  the 
range  of  the  monumental  regions.  Those  sculp 
tured  in  the  temples  and  palaces  of  Otolum 
near  Palenque,  are  not  the  only  ones.  Several 
in  caves,  or  upon  rocks,  involve  in  rude  paint 
ing,  a  symbolic  meaning,  to  which  we  are  ob 
taining  a  clue.  Several  nations  of  North  Amer 
ica  had  a  language  of  signs  made  or  written ; 
although  known  sometimes  to  but  few,  these 
signs  or  symbols  prevailed  from  Origon  to  Chili 
— or  else  Quipos  as  in  China,  were  used  as  re 
cords,  in  coloured  strings  or  knots,  wampums, 
belts,  collars.  All  these  however,  appear  to  be 
long  to  the  first  attempt  of  mankind  to  perpetu 
ate  ideas,  they  seem  to  have  preceded  the  al- 


AMERICAN 

phabets  of  India,  Persia  and  Europe,  or  the  vo 
cal  signs  of  China,  although  some  of  these  date 
of  the  earliest  ages.  Tula,  Oaxaca,  Otolum, 
&c.,  had  glyphs  or  a  kind  of  combined  alpha 
bet,  where  the  letters  or  syllables  were  blended 
into  words,  as  in  our  anagrams,  and  not  in  se 
rial  order.  A  few  traces  of  Alphabets  have, 
however,  been  found  in  South  America  on  the 
R.  Cauca  and  elsewhere,  which  have  not  yet 
obtained  sufficient  atteution :  that  of  Cauca 
given  by  Humboldt,  is  nearly  Pelagic  or  Etrus 
can;  traces  of  Runic  signs  were  found  in  Caro 
lina — other  signs  have  occasionally  been  met 
in  North  America,  but  neglected. 

Painted  symbols  or  hieroglyphics,  or  some 
times  abridged  outlines  of  them,  were  used 
chiefly  in  Anahuac,  from  Panuco  to  Panama; 
in  North  America,  from  Florida  to  New  Mex 
ico,  also  in  Cuba,  Hayti,  Yucatan,  Bogota,  Peru, 
by  the  Panos,  Muyzcas  and  other  nations. 
Those  without  any  means  to  convey  ideas  could 
even  in  America,  as  in  Scythia  and  Africa,  use 
emblems  or  objects  to  which  a  peculiar  mean 
ing  was  applied,  and  trace  rude  pictures  of 
them  on  trees  or  rocks. 

The  monuments  connected  with  pictures, 
emblems,  hieroglyphics,  scattered  in  caves,  on 
rocks,  on  cliffs  above  human  reach — -are  very 
curious,  and  ought  to  be  collected,  sought  for, 
and  explained ;  they  will  all  impart  historical 
events.  The  rock  of  Taunton  and  a  few  others, 
have  alone  exercised  the  ingenuity  of  antiqua 
rians,  and  perhaps  to  little  purpose  at  yet,  since 
the  inscription  has  been  ascribed  by  turns  to  the 
Phenicians,  the  Jews,  the  Atlantes,  Norwegians 
or  even  to  our  modern  tribes.  It  may  not  be 
properly  understood  until  all  the  graphic  sys- 


MONUMENTS. 

terns  of  America  are  studied  and  explained. 
The  late  successful  attempt  of  the  Cherokis  to 
obtain  a  syllabic  alphabet  for  their  language, 
proves  that  the  Americans  were  not  devoid  of 
graphic  ingenuity. 

But  the  contents  of  mounds,  graves,  caves, 
&c.,  are  also  very  interesting,  affording  us  a 
clue  to  their  purpose,  and  the  arts  of  times  when 
raised  or  inhabited.  Many  kinds  of  implements, 
ornaments,  tools,  weapons,  vases,  &c«,  have 
been  found  every  where,  displaying  skill  and 
taste.  Idols  and  sculptures  have  given  us  the 
features  and  religious  ideas  of  some  nations. 
Astronomical  stones  and  calendars  have  been 
found,  recovered,  and  lost  again,  revealing  pe 
culiar  systems  of  astronomy  and  chronology. 
We  possess  the  oomplex  calendars  of  the  Tu- 
lans,  Mexicans,  Chiapans,  Muyzcas,  Peruvians, 
&c  ,  that  of  the  Talegas  of  North  America,  a 
dodecagone  with  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
parts  and  hieroglyphics,  was  found  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio,  and  has  since  been  lost  or  hidden. 

Humboldt's  labors  on  American  astronomy 
and  his  results  coincide  with  those  on  antiquity 
to  make  the  American  systems  quite  different 
from  the  oriental,  Hindu,  Jewish,  Egyptian, 
Greek,  Roman,  and  Celtic  systems  of  days, 
months,  zodiac,  and  cycles;  while  they  are 
more  like  those  of  Thibet,  China,  Japan,  Lybia, 
Etruria,  &c.  At  any  rate  the  American  sys 
tems  were  anterior  to  the  admission  of  the 
week  of  seven  days,  being  the  fourth  of  a  luna 
tion,  each  day  dedicated  to  a  planet,  and  the 
Sabatical  observance  of  the  Jews  based  there 
on.  The  American  weeks  were  of  three,  five, 
nine,  and  even  thirteen  days,  as  in  some  parts 
of  Asia,  and  Africa,  in  Java,  Thibet,  China, 


.  AMERICAN 

Guinea.  The  week  of  five  days  appears  the 
most  ancient  of  all  and  the  most  natural,  includ 
ing  exactly  seventy-three  weeks  in  the  solar 
year,  and  sixty-nine  in  the  lunar  year;  that  of 
the  three  days  is  only  the  decimal  part  of  a 
month ;  in  China  the  long  week  of  fifteen  days 
prevails  as  yet  being  half  a  lunation  or  month. 

Accounts  of  monuments  with  dry  descriptions 
and  measures,  are  often  uninteresting,  unless 
with  figures  and  explanations  to  illustrate  their 
nature  and  designs.  The  writer  having  him 
self  surveyed  many  American  sites  of  ancient 
.cities,  may  hereafter  describe  and  explain  some 
of  them,  with  or  without  figures.  He  has  also 
collected  accounts  of  similar  monuments  all 
over  the  earth,  and  will  be  able  to  elucidate 
thereby  our  own  monuments.  Meantime  who 
ever  wishes  to  become  acquainted  with  such  as 
have  been  made  known  in  the  United  States 
alone,  must  consult  a  host  of  writers  who  have 
described  a  few,  such  as  Soto,  Charlevoix,  Bar 
ton,  Belknap,  Lewis,  CrevecoEiir,  Clinton,  At- 
water,  Brekenridge,Nuttal,  McCulloh,  Bartram, 
Priest,  Beck,  Madison,  James,  Schoolcraft, 
Keating,  &c-;  and  in  the  appendix  to  the  An 
cient  History  of  Kentucky  will  be  found  my  cata 
logue  made  in  1824.  Such  study  in  then  a  task, 
and  requires  the  amending  hand  of  a  careful 
compiler  at  least,  before  we  can  even  obtain  the 
complete  knowledge  of  what  has  been  done  with 
us  already  on  this  historical  subject. 

Philadelphia,  September -,  1838. 


ADDITIONS. 

1.  The  Mexican  Antiquities  have  lately  been 
illustrated  in  many  splendid  works,  by  Aglio, 
Kingsborough,    Dupaix,   Baraden,    St.  Priest, 
Nebel,  Icaza,    Gondra,    Waldeck  &c.     In    a 
clever  review  of  these  works  (in  the  foreign  re 
view)  it  is  distinctly  asserted  Jhat  the  Tul-tecas 
(people  of  Tul,)  or   American   Atlantes,  were 
quite  a  different  people  from  the  Later  Mexi 
can  tribes,  that  their  monuments  are  equal  in 
interest  to  those  of  Egypt  and  Syria,  with  co 
lossal  and   even   Cyclopian  structures---which 
agrees  with  my  former  statements,  and  I  have 
traced  them  in  America  from  Missouri  to  Chi* 
li,  but   their  central    seats    and   empires  were 
from  Mexico  to  Quito.     Their  great  temple  at 
Otolum  near  Palenque  was  equal  to  Solomon's 
temple.     Their  mythology  was  quite  peculiar 
and  Asiatic, their  maindeity  was  Hun-aku  (first 
cause)  comparable  to  Anuki  the  Syrian  Cybele, 
their  Astronomy  was  antediluvian,   the  year  of 
360  days  or  18  months  of  20  days. 

2.  The  first  monuments  of  the  United  States 
may  be   ascribed  to  the    Talegas*  a  northern 
branch  of  these  Atlantes.     The  oldest  monu 
ments  of  Peru  long  before  the  Incas  with  those 
of  Brazil  and  Oronoco  are  related  thereto,  and 
were  erected  by  their  Southern  tribes,  the  Atu- 
les  and  Talahets. 

3.  In  a  late  work  of  Harcourt  (1838)  all  these 
ancient  monuments  of  America,  Africa,  Europe 
and  Asia,  are  ascribed  to  the  Arkites  saved  at 
the  flood  of  Noah ;  which  was  also  the  previous 
opinion  of  M'culloh  in  his  American  researches, 
But  some  Antiquaries  are  yet  seeking  in  Amer- 
ea  traces  of  the  Adamites. 


ADDITIONS. 

4.  The  Tulawas  and  Telingas  nations  and 
languages  of  Decan  of  Southern  India,  are  pro 
bably  of  Atlantic  or  Tulanic  (Syn.  of  Turan  or 
Tartary)  descent;  and  these  nations  sent  co 
lonies  furher  east  in  early  times  to   Polynesia 
and  perhaps  as  far  as  America!  yet  the  bulk  of 
Oceanic  population  from  Madagascar  to  Japan 
and   Australia  is  of  Hamite   descent,   by  the 
regular  structure   of  all  the  languages ;  while 
this  seldom  happens  in   America  as  in  China 
and  Tartary. 

5.  The  late  attempts  of  tracing  analogies  of 
origin  and  descent  between  the   Chinese    and 
Polynesian  Nations,  are  quite  vain.    The  Chi 
nese  Nations  are  evidently  Asiatic  and  primi 
tive  akin  to  the  Tartars  and  Turks  (the  modern 
Turans,)  their  language  have  the  same  inverse 
position,  and  monosylabic  structure.     The  idea 
of  Harcourt  to^eem  the  Chinese  the  real  Sem- 
etic  stock  of  Languages,  is  worthy  of  enquiry. 
He  -has  proved  that  the  Obri  (Hebrpw)  was  in 
reality   a  Hamite  language,   the   posterity  of 
Abraham  having  adopted  a  dialect  of  the  Acuri 
(Assyrian)   and  Xnoni   (Canaanit;)    but   the 
Arabic  languages  and  nations,  so  akin  thereto 
must  then  also  be  Hamites !  and  the  old  Ara 
bians  alone  were  Semites. 

5.  Meantime  the  Turanic  or  Japhetic  nations 
and  languages  (IFH  meaning  widely  spread  \9 
our  Japhet)  should  be  the  real  Turans  and  At- 
lantes,  including  the  Medians,Caucasians,Hin- 
dus,  Pelagians,Thracians,  Slavonians,Goths,and 
nearly  two  thirds  of  the  American  Nations,  the 
most  civilized  and  powerful  of  them.  But  it  ap 
pears  to  me  that  the  Celts  and  Cantabrians 
were  like  the  Etruscans  and  Phenicians  of  Ha 
mite  Origin.  It  is  strange  that  all  the  brown 


ADDITIONS.  27 

0r  black  nations  of  Africa,  Asia  and   Oceania 
are  also  of  similar  descent. 

7.  In  my  work  on  the  Ancient  American  Na 
tions,  may  be   seen  which  were   the   oldest  or 
earliest  in  America,  and  to  which  other  nations 
elsewhere  they  are  most  intimately  connected. 
I  have  proved  that  two  great  nations  of  America 
the    Aruac  including  the  Haytians  and  tribes 
from  Florida  to   Patagonia,  with  the  Sekeh  or 
old  Chilians,  having   branches   from    Chili   to 
Brazil;  were  certainly  very  akin   in  language 
with  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Italians  and  Span 
iards,  or  rather    their  ancestors  the    Pelagic, 
Oscan  and  Cantabrian  Nations. 

8.  The  American  Atlantes  of  North  America 
(Talegas)  the  Tols  and  Chontals  of   Anahuac 
and  Central  America,  the  Muyzcas  of   Tunca 
and  Peru ;  with  the  ancient  Peruvians  of  mixt 
origin,  were  certainly  the  most  civilized  nations 
of  this  continent,  as  their  monuments  prove  it, 
and  their  languages  are  of  Japhetic  or  Turanic 
structure,  having  their  major  affinities  in  Cen 
tral  Asia,the  Caucasus,the  Illyrians,  Slavonians 
&c ;  but  some  also  with  the  African  Atlantes 
or   ancient   and  modern   Lybians,   Getulians, 
Shellus  4*c' 

9.  The  Guarani  group  of  languages  and  na 
tions  in  South  America  was  most  widely  spread 
from  Guyana  to  Paraguay,  and  all  over  Brazil. 
It  is  quite  monosyllabic,  with   the   Hamite  or 
African  structure,  having  its  affinities  all  over 
Africa,  where  hardly  any  except  the  Qua  or 
Hottentot  nation   are  of  Chinese  ?  or  Turanic 
descent  by  structure  of  speech. 

10.  In  North   America,    4  widely   different 
stocks  of  nations  had  the  Hamite  structure,  the 
Floridia»  including  Chactas,  the  Wdkons  or 


28  ADDITIONS. 

Missourians,  the  Ongwis  or  Iroquois,  and  the 
Uskimas  or  Esquimaux  spread  across  the  whole 
or  Boreal  America.  This  last  stock  is  evident 
ly  akin  to  the  Northern  Asiatic  Hamites  such 
as  the  Fins,  Slaves,  Chudis,  Ostiaks  $c.  The 
Wakons  and  Ongwis  appear  also  Asiatic,  akin 
to  the  Tonguz  and  other  Northern  Tartars; 
but  the  Chactas  with  the  Natchez,  Seminoles 
and  akin  tribes  appear  of  Eastern  descent,  and 
find  their  parents  in  North  Africa. 

11.  In  my  work  on  Historical  Palingenesy  or 
the  restoration  of  ancient  nations  and  languages 
presumed  lost,  I  have  been  able  to  restore  many 
of  all  the  parts  of  the  world  (but  chiefly  Ameri 
ca  and  Europe)  in  the  same  manner  as  I  once 
did  for  the  Haytian  nation  and  language,where- 
by  many  historical  links  will  be   evolved  and 
traced.     My  process  is  similar  to  that  of  Cuvier 
and  the  modern  Paleontologists,  who  restore  ex 
tinct  animals  by  fragments  of   their   bones.     I 
do  the   same  with  extinct    languages   by  frag 
ments  of  their  words  and  elements,  discovered 
and  put  together. 

12.  In  result  the  monumental  evidences  com 
bine  with  the  philological  to  descry  and  ascer 
tain  whatever  is  obscure  in  Ancient  History. 
By  their  mutual  help  and  accordance,  with  the 
use  of  acurate  comparisons  in  both  Hemisphe 
res,  we   shall  certainly  be  enabled  to  advance 
the  Archeol6gical  and  Historical  knowledge  of 
Yore,  beyond  our  most  sanguine    expectation. 
The  path  is  open  and  becoming  easy  to  pursue; 
much  therefore  will  be  achieved  by  following 
the  comparative  process  and  discarding  all  the 
conjectural  systems. 

, . 

THE  END. 


